UPDATE: 11 new Covid-19 cases announced for Thailand – total now 70 people

With more infections linked to the “birthday party Covid-19 cluster” and some concealing their timeline, the Disease Control Department is urging the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to take legal action against people involved.

Thai media are calling it a “super spreader” party. So far, 26 cases are linked to the birthday event for the 33 year old Thai actor Techin Ploypetch, aka DJ Matoom, at a Bangkok hotel. 113 people are at risk and another 53 are considered low risk, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

The event organisers could face charges for violating the ban on crowded gatherings. Partygoers could face charges for violating the Emergency Decree. Covid-19 patients who attended the party and concealed their timeline from health officials could also be charged under various laws.

A singer, a government official, and a PR manager, who all went to the party and later tested positive Covid-19, hid crucial parts of their timelines from health authorities, according to Thai PBS.

The department says those people could face charges under the Communicable Disease Act for allegedly concealing personal information and may be fined up to 20,000 baht. They could also be charged under the Criminal Code for allegedly giving false information to government officials.

The department’s director-general Opas Karnkawinpong says concealing or delaying the provision of information increases the spread of the virus and makes it harder for authorities to control the pandemic.

SOURCES: Thai PBS World| Bangkok Post

Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.

Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.

After criticism that the Thai government is taking too long to start mass Covid-19 immunisation, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that 19 million people will be vaccinated in the first phase of inoculations starting next month.

Vulnerable groups and frontline workers in areas at the highest risk of infection are first priority. Out of the 19 million people to be vaccinated in the first phase, Prayut says 11 million will be people over the age of 60, 6.1 million people with underlying conditions and 1.7 million people who work in the medical field. Another 15,000 government workers involved in managing the virus will also be vaccinated in the first phase.

Prayut says the first phase will start with 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been approved by the government for emergency use. Altogether, the Thai government secured 26 million doses from AstraZeneca and reportedly reserved another 35 million doses. The Thai firm Siam Bioscience is planned to produce the vaccine locally by June.

Thailand also ordered 2 million doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine and the first shipment of 200,000 doses is expected to arrive next month.

There was no timeline announced for the first phase of immunisation. Head of the government’s vaccine management committee, Sophon Mekthon, told Reuters that the time frame depends on the capacity of hospitals administering the vaccines as well as the number of doses they receive.

SOURCE: Reuters

Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.

Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.

756 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 4,858 active cases. The CCSA has reported a total of 16,221 cases and 76 deaths since the start of the pandemic last year.

The spike in cases over the past few days is due to a mass testing campaign in Samut Sakhon, according to spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Natapanu Nopakun, who also represents the CCSA.

“Don’t be alarmed by the high number of confirmed cases for today… most of it is from active case finding.”

Out of the 756 new cases, 724 were detected in active case finding. The majority of active Covid-19 cases in Thailand are asymptomatic. In many cases, people came in contact with the virus at social gatherings or workplaces like factories, according to Natapanu.

No new cases have been reported in 61 provinces in the past week. Those provinces are now considered so-called “safer zones.”

Samut Sakhon remains the only high risk area. In Bangkok, the Covid-19 situation is under control, but needs to be monitored, Natapanu says. Those who are sick with pneumonia or a respiratory infection will now be tested for Covid-19 as a precaution.

Active Covid-19 cases in Thailand as of January 27, according to Worldometers.

SOURCE: CCSA

Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.

Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.

Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.